Patient's question:
A newborn at 19 days, high thyroxine with TSH 12.4. (Breastfeeding) (The mother of the child has been high on TSH since she was pregnant, please contact privately). Now at 19 days, how long is needed for a recheck? If the child's TSH remains high after recheck, how is it treated, is it troublesome? Does medication require hospitalization, and how much will it cost approximately (a 3-level hospital)?Doctor's answer:
This situation is primarily due to congenital hypothyroidism, which leads to a continuous increase in the excretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). It is best to undergo a thyroid function test, including five items. If the other four items are normal and only one is elevated, specifically TSH, this condition does not necessarily require taking levothyroxine (Levothyroxine). This is a symptom of congenital hypothyroidism. Ensuring that thyroid hormone levels remain within the normal range is sufficient. It will absolutely not affect normal growth and development, and it is necessary to retest every two weeks. If the retest results still show high TSH levels, it will be necessary to take levothyroxine. The treatment is not complicated, but it is essential to retest every two weeks to monitor the results and adjust the levothyroxine dosage accordingly. Additionally, irregular growth and neurodevelopmental assessments should be conducted on the child to check for any developmental delays.